Fall 2009

Dear Friend,

This quarter’s newsletter—Care and Cultivate for Optimal Health—is dedicated to supporting individuals in making decisions about how to pursue healthy living. There are many ways in which we can become our own “prevention specialists” according to the lifestyle choices we make each day. Some of the best practices for health, healing and prevention from around the world include: a healthy diet, daily exercise, a daily mindfulness practice (i.e., meditation, journaling, gratitude practice) and a sense of connection to community. Lifestyle choices are a key component of integrative medicine.

One goal of the Osher Center is to provide a space where ideas and information about lifestyle choices and integrative medicine can be made more available to those in the Bay Area and beyond. The idea is that through disciplines like TCM, yoga, Tai Chi, and meditation, individuals can gain more control over their health. According to research, this control is often particularly powerful for patients who, because of disease or illness, have lost control of some of their physical strength.

Our collaborative approach to patient care includes conventional and integrative practitioners working together and partnering with patients to continue to provide the best quality of care. We focus on prevention, patient empowerment, early intervention, and patient-centered care through the integration of modern medicine with established practices from around the world.

The integrative medicine view of health and healing supports greater health for all. It encompasses a broad range of view points, practices, and perceptions that can enrich our sense of self and our world, and by doing so, open up new ways of thinking about life that can effect a positive change.

Sincerely,

Susan Folkman, PhD
Director, UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine